S2 Ep2: Shaolin Warrior Master WARNING The Collapse of The West! This Modern Habit Is Killing Millions!

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Physical pain, sweating, exhausting yourself from time to time is a normal state of being a martial artist. And this is similar to the way of your life. You invest your time and your energy for months, years, and at some point this life pays you back the fruits. And this is why martial arts principles can teach you something to find success. But the truth is After you have achieved everything you've ever set onto your mind, and then you start to understand there's more to this world than to be rich.

Master Shi Hongyi is the headmaster of Shaolin Temple Europe and the author of Shaolin Spirit.

He utilizes ancient Shaolin wisdom to help people find clarity, purpose, and peace in their modern lives. Wake up from realizing that your life is being run by something that all the time is lying outside of you. For example, if I am pushing some buttons on you, it's not why I push them. The question is, why can I push them? There is a weakness in every human being, which is the moment when you let your emotions take over your wisdom and clear thoughts.

How can you advise people to confront their demons?

People don't want to hear it. It's difficult. It hurts. Nevertheless, I'm still telling you.

What was happening in your life at the time that you stepped off the path that was expected of you?

If you had watched how was my life from the age of 4 until 18, you would see, okay, looks very disciplined, he goes to school, he does his training, he's eating and sleeping, and then the whole pattern just continues for 14 years. Simple. So nothing about too much exaggerating about going out, not much time of doing any leisure things that in that years of growing up, you would actually assume a teenager would do. Mhm. So, but this dedicated training, meaning, and this being a little bit over-passionate about my love to the martial arts, at some point I asked myself, could it be that I'm maybe missing out on something by being so focused and so locked on the idea of I want to step into this legend of the Shaolin warriors. And now, at some point, all of this pressure, in a way, started piling up, where I questioned myself, what is it? Or what if I'm actually just about to create a bubble, just about to create my own illusion? And by creating my illusion, I'm missing the whole glory of what else is there existing in this life to experience. So, and that was the moment where I felt like I had this expressive energy of going out into the world, but I felt like being in a cage because of the own bars that I was putting on myself. The bars of being disciplined and every day doing the training and in the evening having bedtimes and not going out therefore, and all of this. And then a few incidents happened that opened up the door for me to say, now, okay, let's break the bars. Mm-hmm. And this is what I, um, what it felt like. And then what also happened, I left the country, uh, yeah, on the one side, I left the country that I grew up in, started also studying in another country. I left the city and I started exploring other ways, um, that are existing in this world.

And We read that there was a moment where you had a gun pulled on you.

Yes, and this is an expression simply of before that, you know, this disciplined way of life, then having training and being a nice child, let's put it like this, on the one side. And then in the moment where I broke free, then suddenly shifting into everything else that you would regard as, okay, That is probably the area where parents don't want their child to spend their time in. So one on the, on the one side, very light, on the other side, like pretty dark and pretty the, the, yeah, the life, criminal, drug, all of these things, just to have that experience. And along these lines was the look into the barrel of a gun. Yes.

In that dark period of time, did you at the time feel like that was going to go on forever?

I never thought about it if it would go on forever, but I just felt like by that time I was now 21, 22, 23. Yeah, so still in the full energy, having the feeling, okay, I'm, I'm about to build something up, and this is how at the moment life feels like. There's nothing that can bring me down. So I was not even feeling about if it would last forever. But what, after some point of living this life, like a borderless life, let's say, I felt was it is not a sustainable way to continue living like this, simply because I felt that it is very, very draining on the physical level and also on the mental level. There is nothing that is gonna add some quality to the way of, of your life if you remain in these circles and areas.

You later wrote, I'm no longer in competition with others, only with myself. Did that happen in that moment of shift?

I do feel like that everything that we are going through, all the insights that and decisions that we are taking, they are happening gradually, which means I can't literally tell you, this is the moment where that shift happened. It's just that more and more it just became evident for me that this is the way how things, how myself, how my mindset also started changing. What before I regarded as really, really important, just gradually faded away, and then you just felt like it already happened. Yeah, so what I thought worked for me 10 years ago, now I have other, I have other visions about it.

And so for other people in the world who struggle with the continuous comparison and competition with others, what would you say to them about being able to step back from that.

Me growing up, I had 100% this competitive mind. On the one side, the comparison. For example, when I watch television, I saw my idols, some Shaolin warriors doing great movements on the television. And then I compare to myself and say, hmm, I can't do it yet. So, what do I need to do to also achieve this level? So there was already one type of comparison to the television. Then you go into the gym or into the training hall and you have your peers that also train with you, and then your master tells you, okay, it's push-up time, go as much as you can. And so, okay, I go as much as you can, but I still want to be better than the rest. There is a competition. And then also in normal sporting events that took place maybe in the school time, or anything to in a way compare yourself to somebody else in order to bring out the best version of you was— is normal. Especially in the field of martial arts, where then at some point you also have different type of competitions, whether it is just like demonstrating some movements, or whether it is about sparring or fighting against somebody else with some protective gear. It's still you're trying to prove yourself to be better. So in some areas it does make sense because it is developing something about you, like a willpower, like the ability to actually also be able to take some, let's call it a little pain. You are able to take the pressure in order to compete. So being able to be resilient and take the pressure. This is where all this competition can help. But sometimes, in some areas in life, this competitive mindset just doesn't make sense anymore because there is nothing in a way to achieve. Very simply said, for example, in your relationship, in case you would have one, because it's not your enemy. And there is simply nothing in order to attain in that way to view your, your other part in a competitive, unhealthy way. Mm-hmm. Yes. So what I'm trying to say is, is being competitive good or bad? Well, it can be both. Should people develop a mindset without being competitive? No. Is it all about competitiveness? No. So what's the answer? Is it a yes? Is it no? It's both, but depends on where are you personally standing in your life. Yeah. And where do you want to move towards?

Yeah, I find people are so obsessed with that I suppose, commercial success, and there's a lot of competition in life to make money that I think people forget a little bit of themselves and their relationships and what else is important in life in that competition that we see online. Everyone's being very successful and having so much money and all the rest of it, and people get caught in this trap of comparison. So, it's very difficult, I think, for most people to not feel that pressure.

One way, yeah. To figuring out like, what is the purpose of life? This is something that can shift throughout the years. Mm-hmm. And there is the truth, which is sometimes, first of all, you need to get what you are dreaming of. You need to work for the purpose you think this is all about. First of all, maybe you need to become rich to realize there's more to this world. Than to be rich. First of all, you need to get the car that you, like, wish for. You need to get it first of all. So, and attaining a few of these goals, so setting yourself the goal and then having that drive to reach that goal, and then realizing after attaining it, okay, that's not it. In order to do that, you need to be competitive. Mm-hmm. But at some point, after you have achieved everything you've ever set onto your mind, and then you start to understand, it's not the car, it's not the holiday, it's not what I wear, it's not how the people see me, it's not all of the things I worked for in the last 20 years. After this has happened, then a new world starts to open to you. Mhm. And this new world doesn't need competitiveness anymore. Before that, if you want to drive an expensive car and at the moment you don't have the financial means to it, I'm sure you need to be competitive to get it. Because you're not going to— nobody's going to give it to you as a present. This is probably not going to happen. Yeah.

In our modern world these days, modern society, I feel like we have an epidemic of addiction to so many different things. We have an epidemic of loneliness now. We have an epidemic of comparison and greed. So why do you think that most people are struggling to find their peace? And why do you think that they're struggling with comparison and greed and, and loneliness? Why do you think that people can't find that you know, route to self-mastery, as it were.

Everything that nowadays we would probably see and saying that the society at the moment is unhealthy in this, this, this, this, and that area, I do think is a result or is the consequence of everything that the previous generation in a way nourished. Yeah, meaning what we see nowadays is the consequence of something that, let's say, has been planted or or implemented way before the times of this current generation. Yeah? So in order to change the course of the next generation, looking at what is going wrong right now, this is what needs to be corrected. The type of what is it that nowadays, through such podcasts for example, is being spread to the ones who are right now in this society. So it's not the fault of this current situation and of the current society that they are as they are. It is the ones before that planted the ideas of what this life is supposed to be like. Hmm. So, and there is one other truth. Uh, I'm not even sure from which book it is, yeah, but you, you might know it. It is like called give opium to the population. Mm-hmm. You know, what does it mean? Because then they're happy. Then they're happy and you can just run your course. So whatever it means to you, but there is something about it. It is similar like nowadays sometimes when I just see and travel around, Sometimes you see families with their children, you know, and there's a very quick, quick way to get your child silent.

iPad.

Just give him something that he's going to make himself busy with and at the same time receiving the type of, of fast-paced dopamine, uh, dopamine, uh, treat. So and similar like this. What is it that then along this way that child is going to learn? That there is always a quick way to attain that feeling of— yeah, of however you would call it. But if you look at anyone who built up anything sustainably, they had to do it in a way by having patience sometimes, by investing the work right now, but there is no treat that you're getting in terms of, uh, feeling that anything is coming back right now. You invest, you invest, you invest your time and your energy for months, years, and sometimes longer, and at some point this life pays you back the fruits, let's say. So what is missing between these types of generations is there are people who were willing to invest without asking for the immediate gratification. So a certain type of character now starts to emerge from that. And on the other side, you have the generation which needs the immediate gratification. And therefore is missing out on a very, very important aspect of human beingness, which is the patience, the perseverance, the persistence, the consistency of staying with one idea and keep going. If you like it or not. And one day, after building brick after brick, Then one day you can see the glory of everything.

And so if you were able to speak to someone now who is struggling in their life, they're struggling to see the success that they want, would you advise them to start trying hard things? What would you tell them?

To accept the fact that first of all, this life is just, it's just not an easy life. This is how it starts. Nobody is being born into this world and then just gets things served on the silver tablet without doing anything. So just first of all, by readjusting the view upon this world a little bit, that sometimes you get something because you give something, and the currency that we are able to give, most of the times, most of the time, it is lifetime. It is lifetime. But the more skillful you become, when you're learning different skills, the time you invest together with the skills you have learned are just bringing some type of output quicker into your direction because you make it in a skillful way. So what is it about now? Somebody wants to achieve whatever it is, I would say, break down what skills are needed in order to get where you imagine you want to get. Mm. So, and then, how do you gonna get to these skills? Where do you find anyone in your surrounding who possesses the skills that you feel like you need in order to attain what you want? And this is similar like now, yeah? Why can I talk like this? Because I just translate it into my martial art field. Yeah? I look around in the world, I see different masters, grandmasters, I look what are they able to do, what are their skills. I see, oh, okay, that's a nice one. This is something I would like to do myself. So first realization is, I can't do it. Second realization is there is somebody who has it. So I approach that master, that teacher. I ask him, what are the ways for me to learn the abilities that you possess? Then there will come conditions, agreements, contracts. I will give you that skill if you whatever. So, and then it starts. So, and like this, slowly, slowly, You walk your way through until you feel like, okay, now I possess the skill sets that might and hopefully help me to build up and make use of it in the area that I was dreaming of to find my success in. That is one solution.

I feel the— you're talking about first having clear expectations. You're talking about learning something that comes slowly and finding the right people who can guide you.

Yes. And then this is also maybe an interesting part in the field of martial arts, like physical pain, sweating, exhausting yourself from time to time, feeling like you have no energy anymore. Is a normal state of being inside a martial artist's life. Knowing, and sometimes you get beat down, and then you have to just stand up again. And sometimes you just feel too tired, but you still keep trying. Also translating this into, there will be no flawless success, uh, streak. Mm, it's not gonna happen because the reason why you naturally continue to grow and start to get insights you didn't have before is because you failed, didn't give up on the failing, and therefore something about you, your creativity, your— started to help you find solutions that before you didn't have. But you only came to these new solutions because you didn't give up in the first place when you failed. Yeah, it's nothing new that I'm saying. The fact is, all of this success won't come without you failing many times before and never giving up and still having that big idea in your mind that all the little failures are teaching you something. You have been unaware, you didn't pay close enough attention to that. Paragraph whatsoever, whatever it is, it teaches you something. And this is also another understanding, maybe, because if it would be easy to everybody, like, just comes from university or doesn't even study and successfully becomes an entrepreneur, if it would be so easy, we would have more. Hmm. But we don't. We have people nowadays still aiming for this wish of being completely, uh, self-reliant and being independent, everybody wishes. But this is like not just like in this world, also on a, let's say, spiritual level. What is it all about? Liberation. What is it all about? Liberation. But for the majority of the world, it is about right now financial liberation. In the term, in the area of liberation, there is financial liberation, but then there are other areas, which is even the liberation of, I call it now, the liberation of the meat, the liberation of this body in a way even. The liberation of the fact that you can spend now the next 70, 80 years attaining financial liberation and then at the same time also attaining all of what you start to collect and build up in your lifetime. But unfortunately, after 100 years, it will be gone anyway. Mm. So the idea of, we come with nothing, we go with nothing. So, does it mean that I should do nothing in between? No. You are free to do what you want. If you want to work at the same time during this lifetime for financial freedom, you can do it. But it has a price and it takes work and it takes dedication and commitment and a lot of energy. But on some perspective, there were other areas of where I feel like now being so closely related to an ancient tradition, financial liberation is something nice to have. Mm. But sometimes, and also interestingly, is actually also the liberation and the freedom of not being enslaved by your own mind is for me another type of liberation that, asking me right now, I would value it at the higher level than financial liberation. Because the financial— the search for financial liberation comes from your mind, comes from your thinking. But if you could liberate yourself from your thinking, you wouldn't even have the idea to get financially independent. It's another area, and I do understand if people think like, okay, you know, this is not what we want, we want the money. Okay, no problem. But every type of liberation takes effort. And there is that saying that liberation must be earned. And I do feel like it is so.

What did you mean when you said you should develop the demon hand while maintaining the Buddha heart?

It is very, very much related to the martial art. Making it simple, your body becomes a weapon. Your body, you're forging, you're doing the training, your body, your bones, your ligaments, everything about you becomes very, very skillful, very sharp, very dense, different in consistency, literally like forged tools. Hmm. Okay, so, but knowing what type of destructive power you are carrying around you, you still have this Buddha heart, that peaceful heart, that connected heart, that will not use all of these skills to bring some type of harm to the world. And this is similar like the technology that is existing nowadays. Is it good? Is it bad? No, the technology is the technology. The technology is a possibility. Yeah, but this possibility in different hands of different characters turns out differently. Demon hand, Buddha heart is very clearly which one is the heart. It's the heart that is connected.

And when someone has given themselves such mastery over themselves and their body, what should they dedicate themselves to? Because obviously that's, that's sort of your underlying way of living now.

At this current state of my life, I can see something very clearly. Like I said before, we, us, this generation right now, we have been forged partially and influenced a lot by the previous generation. It's the ideas, it is the technologies, it is the possibilities, it is all that knowledge from the previous generations that have put into place, and we are just finding ourselves in the manifestation of them. So now, in my case, knowing the next generation is about to come, I know that all the decisions I take right now, everything that I'm putting into practice to shape the vision of how I would like to see the world, this is where the next generation is going to find themselves in. I'm not doing anything in this lifetime in a way for me anymore. Hmm. I invest my lifetime right now to shape something that I will not benefit from it. The next generation will have it. So, and this gives me right now, at this point in my life, my purpose.

And so you purpose is teaching and educating the next generation. And I suppose to a great extent, the book is about helping people find their true self. And so how do you on a day-to-day basis actually help people practically do that for people who are struggling?

Yeah, actually I do the same as you do with this podcast, just in a different way.

Wake up.

Wake up. In which sense? Wake up from realizing that your life is being run by something that all the time is lying outside of you. Meaning, your life, your quality of, the state of your being is being determined on something outside of you, let's call it like this. On the weather, on what you possess, on what you don't possess, on which number is on your account, on what you wish to have. So, You are being driven by something outside of you. Wake up, meaning to actually realize, is this the life you want to live? From now until eternity, that you literally don't have your life in your own hands. That actually it's not you who's running your life, you are being run, you're being driven by circumstances. And this is where it comes to start to wake up. This is not the way to live life.

There's a point where you said the master can show you the path, but you have to walk it. And so you can tell people that their life and their decisions are controlled by the previous generation. And I agree with you and believe you that the world has been set out for us in many ways. But how can someone, you know, what's the practical steps someone can take to, to start moving in a more positive direction?

So what I'm trying to do is bring some inspiration, or maybe you call it motivation, out into the world that ultimately lightens up your own inspiration and motivation. I don't want you to see me as your source of inspiration. The inspiration should come from you. The inspiration, something inside of you, the flame inside of you is supposed to wake up for your life. Hmm. I'm just happy to be the one telling you, look, there is a flame. There is a flame. You need to nourish it. Once the flame is awake, when the fire is alive, and you take responsibility to nourish that flame, you know how to nourish it and you do it, something about your life is starting to change. Yes, and this way of living a life is different than waiting for other people to pass on their energy to you. You need to learn to become your own generator without plucking into other people, trying to nourish yourself somehow based on them being the generators.

And you talk about you can't plant an orange seed and expect an apple. I think that's interesting because that talks to the actions and behaviors we take every day. If you're pursuing a discipline and if you're doing the hard things, you will find so much more meaning in your life. Whereas if you are glorifying money or a fast car, you won't get the same meaning and purpose to your life.

Absolutely. I mean, now sometimes we use this word like hard. Yeah. So that it's going to be a hard path in a way. Well, to a certain extent, yes, but sometimes you can also do it intelligently. But what it certainly takes is like consistency, and this type of consistency that is really free in a way from your emotional states. So waking up in the morning, so let's say, for example, at some point I started integrating that I read my emails before 10 one time, and then afterwards I read my emails at another time 5, 2 times. In between, I try to avoid it. You have set up this plan, but then you wake up in the morning and out of whatever, you feel tired, and then you skip this plan. This is something where I would say it's not good to do, because why to in the first place integrate or implement a plan that logically and theoretically sounds feasible, but then let this plan be destroyed by the emotionality of arguing or 'Yesterday I was out with friends, and I think I can allow myself today to skip it.' But that is exactly the reason why things are not working out. This is the reason why some people refer to it as why discipline is needed. It is because you know that there is a weakness in every human being, which is in the moment when you let your emotions and your unconscious patterns take over your wisdom and clear thoughts. And this is why we sometimes need to implement systems that hold us in place when we are starting to like get off track.

Yeah, the foundation for the, the system and the foundation for success in life is, is truth, you know. It's being honest with yourself because like you say, if you set a plan and a system and you can't hold your word to yourself, you start to lose the meaning of words. You start to lose the meaning of, you know, I'm gonna have a goal or a system. If you don't believe in yourself, then you'll never get there. And so I feel like, at least in my life, and I'm writing a little bit about this in my book at the moment, is like the one person that you should be 100% truthful with is yourself, because it becomes the foundation of everything that you do.

That is a very, very— it's a very profound statement on the one side, and I absolutely agree with you. And at the same time, it's the funny part about this society, many will say yes, but the truth is they won't do it. Because to being 100% honest with yourself also means you are able to look inside. I call it now inside of yourself. You could also say you look at all the actions, even all the thoughts that you had from this past lifetime, where you also caused a lot of harm on others, where you also felt ashamed of, but you tried afterwards to not look at it anymore, to not feel the shame, to not feel the guilt. So literally telling you to look at the dirt that you have collected by yourself within this lifetime. And everybody carries the, how you call this, there's a German saying, you carry the dead corpse down in the basement. Everybody has a dead corpse in his basement.

Yeah.

So, are you willing to go down there, open and see what have you done in the past? This belongs also to the story of being 100% authentic with yourself, knowing that you did wrong in this lifetime.

I agree.

But then comes the moment. This is where, like, for some people just to know, when sometimes in these traditions, when it becomes more, let's say, spiritual, Yeah, why we say it is called bringing more light into the dark, why this is the path, because it is— there is a corpse in the basement. You turn on the, the lights and you start walking down into the basement, something you've never done before, and then you are there. Then you start to take the zipper And then you slowly, you are starting to shine light into all the places that you before that tried to hide away from the people and from yourself. This is also part of seeing, being truthful, yes? But at the same time, in the way of, oh, I try to like give it to you, It's also not pleasant.

No.

Yeah, it's like terrifying sometimes.

I would say it's something that I've been so focused on in life from in recent years is confronting the things that you're not proud of in your past, because in finding your own remedy or, you know, recourse with people you may have hurt or things you may have done, again, you gain a greater sense of self, but you also gain a great sense of, like, again, your truth and being honest with yourself. Because if you do, like you say, the German saying, the corpse, you don't want that hanging over you for the rest of time, because I think you will, you will fail to be honest with yourself if you have that type of baggage.

Absolutely.

How can you advise people to confront their demons, as it were? Such a huge topic.

Let me put it like this. At the moment also, recently, my team who sometimes is taking care of like the social media things that are floating around just told me, 'Hey, Shifu, there are so many AI-generated content and videos from me out there. It's becoming really, really difficult for people to actually and tell the difference. Tell the difference.

Yeah.

I mean, I don't know if the people know meanwhile, but you just like read the voice from someone and then at some point you have like the pattern of in the way of how you would be speaking, I would be speaking. You just put any type of text that uses this voice and you yourself would know. I know it also, but people, maybe they think, yeah, that sounds similar. Yeah, similar, yes, but I know the difference and you know. But this is already one part. Then meanwhile also, the image is able to move also with the lip synchronization. So the fact is, we are living at a very interesting point in time right now, where the line between authenticity, reality, and fake and illusion has become extremely thin. And to navigate right now in this world, Where are you heading towards to? Towards the illusion and towards the fake? Or are you about to discover something authentic, something real about this life? To make this differentiation, you need to wake up. This is the point. You need to wake up to that game. Mm-hmm. Yes. So, and this is exactly what I would suggest people to invest in, to learn methods and really be able to tell, your lifetime right now is limited. What do you want to do with this lifetime? Feeding the fake? Or feeding or nourishing something authentic about you. That is your choice.

There was a part that I spent a long time thinking about, and I thought that I would just read the quote and then we could talk about it. But I think this is very important for everyone to think about, which is: watch your thoughts because they become your words, and watch your words because they become your actions. And I think that is so true, that if you don't confront your own thoughts, very quickly the thoughts become what you say, and very quickly they become who you are. And so if you want to walk down a more authentic path, you have to engage in some level of introspection as to why you're thinking those things.

There is a person in my life I value very, very, very much. Yeah. And there's one favorite saying that is: word is law. Meaning if you say something, You stick to it. If you say something, you mean it. If you say something, it's gonna happen. So this has different implications. On the one side, if you give your word away to someone, you stick to it. But also yourself. You know, it is like, if you talk the whole day too much, if you just talk the whole day talking, Of course, the action can't follow because it's just too much talking, or the action is simply not efficient enough. That's why sometimes, okay, keep it for yourself. If it is important to say it, say it, but otherwise, just like stop talking. Stop talking, more doing. Then things feel a little bit more aligned. No, because there is a power of the word, the power of expressing something that didn't start here, it started here. From here it comes to here, then it's out. And then the question is if you're able to follow up on that and manifest it, whatever started here.

Mm, your TED Talk outlines the 5 major hindrances to personal growth. And so, sensory desire, ill will, dullness, restlessness, and self-doubt. So for someone watching and someone reading, how can someone identify those things? How can someone spot that they're being, you know, they're having a hindrance towards their personal growth?

In the past, sometimes when I had podcasts, and then sometimes I my team shows me some of the comments, I can tell that sometimes people don't even know what is it I'm talking about, because they're at a different mental state. So whether you understand what I'm saying, or whether you understand what somebody's trying to say, is dependent on your level of awareness. So, only for what you are open for, only what you are able to be aware of, can become a part of your reality. So, whatever of the hindrances appears, if you are not aware of them, you cannot do anything about them. So the foundation of everything is therefore become more aware, become more conscious. Yeah, be able to observe yourself, be mindful. This is where that whole stream of mindfulness practices, meditation, and all these type of things entered the Western world. Because what is it that allows you to take a step back, to see actually what is happening to you, to see what type of hindrance, what is blocking you? This is what then from these ancient traditions is being done. In order to see what is happening to you, you need to be able to step out from your emotional body, and step out from your pain body. And then, with the clear view, you can tell, ah, okay, I was a little bit like carried away in the moment where I smelled that delicious food. Now I see it. Yes, it actually stopped me from replying to that important message I had to write. In the moment I had to, so, finally said, but that's exactly it. Mm. You start to see actually what happened to you, how were the interactions. So, and there are like these 5 mental states. I do assume if you just link it for the people afterwards, they can watch it by themselves. But this is literally what you do. You have to develop a type of calmness, in order to step out from your emotional and pain body.

And you teach something called the RAIN method, which is presumably a way that someone can step back.

It's not that I teach it, but I found it very, very helpful to just remember what is it that you can do to identify in which of these states you are and how to also let go of them. Yeah, and therefore it is R-A-I-N, RAIN. First of all, you need to recognize it. You need to be able to recognize in which of these 5 states you're feeling yourself. Yeah, the A, to accept in which state you are finding yourself right now, not denying, not finding excuses why you don't want to be in that state. The fact is you acknowledge, you say, okay, I realized that at the moment I was in one certain state. I was a little bit confused. I accept that sometimes in my life this happens. Yes. And now you start to identify why were you confused? What was it exactly that triggered your confusion? Where is the confusion inside of you coming from? You literally start to identify the triggers. Triggers meaning somebody is like pushing some buttons on you, but why do you have the buttons? It's not why I push them. The question is, why can I push them? What makes me push something That means it's something about you. It's not me who does this. Mm. It's you carrying something that lets you build up whatever it is. And this is what this identification, meaning to invest a little bit of really contemplation, going into the past, being truthful to who do you think you are. Yeah, how did you become the one that you are? Looking at yourself and identifying. And ultimately, and it sounds difficult, it's called non-identification. The N, non-identification. Non-identification, meaning if you are able to watch yourself and you see the triggers, or you see what is it inside of you that can be triggered. If you are the one watching it, apparently you are watching something that is maybe a part of you, but it's not you. Mhm. You're watching a baggage of something. You just discovered the baggage. Non-identification, meaning you are not that baggage. You just identified with it. The more you identify with that baggage, the more this results in you feel like it's disturbing you. Non-identification means you found the baggage. Interesting, you found it. So that means you are not it. So you learn to stop up identifying with that back of whatever it is, non-identifying. And this whole perspective of, of state, of mental, of using the mind in an intelligent way, I think is helpful.

To use the mind so actively, it sounds like a lot of work. You know, you talk about how growth comes from discomfort. And I think that that again is like a very— it's a very like interesting topic that for most people they don't understand that, that unfortunately, or maybe even fortunately, growth is found in discomfort. And that, you know, letting go or, you know, non-identifying parts of yourself might feel painful. Why do you think it's the case that growth comes from discomfort?

Because every time when I view, or when I talk about growth, it means you are expanding beyond something that before was your limitation. That is what it means. Growth is you are expanding an area beyond what before was your limitation, was your field of what you know. So like this table right now, like this round table, This is as what I see myself. All the knowledge is inside of that black thing. All my skills are inside of that black circle. Growth, in a way, for me means you start to literally step out from the area that you already possess, that you already know, that you have already done. You step out of it. So, and this expansion now means automatically you are dealing with an area which is unknown. Hmm. When you do it more often, consistently, repetitive, it becomes a part of what now is the black. The black will be until here. Yes, because you have made things so often. That it has become a part of you again. And so that initial black limitation started to expand. Every time you want to make it bigger, it means there is that certain threshold where you are going into an unknown and uncomfortable area. Why is it uncomfortable? Because it's unknown. Why do we call something or feel it's comfortable? It's because I know you for a long time. That's why I feel comfortable around you. Why do you feel so comfortable racing on this racetrack? Because I raced on it many times already. I know the road. So what, where does comfort come from? It comes in a way from, you know it. There is some, you know it. There is some, you feel familiar with it. It has become a part of you already. This is where comfort comes in. When something is unknown, it's discomfort. When you're looking for growth, discomfort is no— there's no other way to deal and learn with that discomfort.

And so for someone seeking growth, they're aware of the discomfort. Like, what advice would you give someone who is constantly pulled off track? You know, whether it's cravings, whether it's, as you say, it's emotions, or whether it's simply distractions. Like, what advice would you give to that person who's continuously he pulled away from that growth.

So even when we talk about growth, yeah, I think it can happen in, in different areas. So growth of your business, growth of your, like, emotional abilities. Is it knowledge growth that you're looking for? So it really depends on what type of growth are we talking about, you know. And based on that, Mm, you want to build up a business, I do think it's very, very useful to tell yourself, for example, to learn a new skill or read something once in a while. Mm. Yeah, to make it a habit in terms of reading about ideas from other people who already successfully built up businesses. So next day you read another one. Next day, another one. So just not getting stuck on your own idea and trying to expand the knowledge in the field now of, let's say, business growth, yeah? But of course, there are other areas that you can grow. And like, wherever you find yourself in this lifetime, it can shift at some point. Sounds very strange to many people, but still. I do feel that at some point in this lifetime, an investment that needs to be done is like the question of, how can you start to grow your heart? Number-based people don't want to hear it. It's difficult, it hurts. Nevertheless, I'm still telling you, at some point I do regard it as being very, very essential. If you live as a human being on this earth, that at some point in your life, you start to really also not just growing your bank account, but literally growing your heart.

How do you grow your heart?

You, for example, sometimes do things, invest your energy, but which is not directly benefiting you.

To teaching others, helping others.

Sharing others, supporting others, helping other people to find a way of life. So meaning, you consciously take the decision knowing, so I can choose right now, with my time right now, I could either make more money for myself, or with my time right now, I can support the generation of money, but I don't even want it. Because I just want the other ones to understand something about this lifetime. And this is also a type of, so what is it that you're doing and why would you do that? Because there's something about you as a human being knowing that you are still connected to all the ones that you just tried to support along their way, because we are all on our own ways, but we're all on the way and we all suffer and we all have our problems.

It's interesting. I liked that you said that consistency was more powerful than intensity. I feel like everyone nowadays wants a shortcut and the fast lane. And, you know, I've built businesses for 15 years and nothing happens quickly. You know, like you said at the start, it's brick by brick. And so like, how do people learn to be consistent? You know, what is the, what is the things that we can do to teach ourselves about consistency?

Now, coming from the field of martial arts, to, to bring it back again to where I literally come from, what does it mean for me to be consistent in the past? One way is if you have a teacher or a mentor Every time you go into the training, your teacher or your mentor or your coach is telling you exactly, yes, good morning, do your push-ups now. So, which literally means you have an external source that gives you a type of structure. Mm-hmm. But sometimes, if you don't have anybody from the outside who tells you what to do, then it means it all relies upon your own ability to set up a consistent practice. And that is just what it's about. Sometimes it's good to write things down and stick to it. This is how you, you learn to be consistent, by being consistent.

Yeah, so true. I, I also love the fact that you talk about if you want to know yourself, look at your past self. And so if you haven't been consistent in your life so far you're going to have to put a system in place to start your consistency. Because if you're not someone that it comes easily to, and I don't think consistency is easy, I think it, it is discipline, and I think you have to train discipline.

Yes. So there are more simple, let's say, character traits helpful in, in aiming for building up, for example, consistency. Yes. But ultimately, you know, it's, it feels like it's this character behind. So we invest in a way in, we're looking for knowledge in terms of subjective knowledge, like, like knowledge in a certain area, attaining some type of, of information from somewhere. But this type of work is also, but what is it that you are investing into the carrier of all the skills? There is a carrier, there is somebody who is putting the skills, who is the alchemist of putting the skills into practice. The character, the essence inside of us, the essence that is patient, That essence that is consistent, that essence that is like honorable, that essence that is trustful, that essence that is reliable. The essence. This is what is the core. All other things is like— When the essence is pure and open, there's many things you can do. When the essence is closed, a lot of things you will not just, you will not attain it.

You talk about how discipline is not a punishment for yourself, it's a way to honour yourself, and that builds the character. Again, for a lot of people, it's a hard thing to think of that you can change your character and you can change your being by, you know, consistently doing the work, as it were.

It's an interesting world. Yes.

What's your perspective on failure and success? I suppose, like, is failure necessary? Is it something that you've experienced a lot of?

This, what I call failure, comes in different ways, I would say, in different type of expressions. Also meaning that sometimes you have an idea You invest a lot of energy in, you have maybe some visions how you would expect people then to react for your new idea, and then comes the realization of, hmm, that actually is not really the, the feedback that I, that I expected. Also, this can be like In the first moment, it feels like there is some type of failure, something went wrong. But on the other side, it also raises the question, but why did I expect it in the first place, for example? What, what was my part in nourishing this feeling of I failed? And by asking this question, sometimes you actually also discover something. About your real intentions why you do things. That is also quite interesting. So, and there will be many of these things. You plan something and it just doesn't go the way how you intended to go. And then instead of taking this as a loss and like giving up on anything, no. I do think meanwhile, or let's say this is what I try to do, What can I learn from it? What could this situation reveal about me that until now I haven't placed attention on? And then it— and afterwards, something is quite liberating about it.

Do you think that life is one-directional then?

No.

How do you now focus the things that you're pursuing?

There was a time, like I said, being very competitive, having very clear visions, having very clear goals, putting in the energy. So I was pushing, I was the driver, I was the generator, I had this focus. But what does focus mean? Focus means that from all possibilities that are here, from all possibilities that are here, I just focus on you right now. That means all my attention goes on you. So does it mean you are, let's say, the most important at this moment? Well, yes, that's the reason why I place my attention on you. But wherever you place your attention, that can mean it's also important to you. And meanwhile, I have arrived at a certain point, also in the way of how this life started developing. I don't search anymore. I don't feel like pushing and focusing on something specific. At the moment, I would say, like, I just like to sit, breathe a little bit, you know, like do, drink something, like have my tea. Then maybe an email comes in and then I look and then I read and then, okay, it's a possibility, but let's wait. Then I continue, do some unnecessary things. Then maybe another email comes in. I see, ah, okay. Another door could be opened. And then I just look like, feel, which doors is the universe at the moment feeling like opening up to me? I don't need to search for it. I just drink my tea and somehow, always and always, I don't need to look for it. It feels like it's coming. And after, like, finishing the tea and, okay, and then feeling inside, what is it that I would like to do? What is it from all of this I feel it's resonating with me? Also regarding of what I have done already, what could come out from this into the future? How do I feel about it? I think I should go to London. And so I do. This is how I'm running my life right now.

So for someone who's not, I suppose, as relaxed as you sound, like, how can someone begin to let things go, things that are dominating their focus? Is there any practices or exercises you know to allow someone to let something go?

Well, like I mentioned already before, if you really, really, really, really want something If you really want something and it's important to you, then the point is like not to let go. If it's really important, you really want it, then this is exactly the area where you need the focus. But you need to focus, but be efficient with your energy, which means get the skill sets you, you really think you need and then follow upon your goal. The only thing I'm saying is people will need to have this experience fighting for the goals and then at some point realizing that that was not fulfilling.

So they have to go through that first?

I do think so. No, I'm convinced it is like this. Yes.

So for someone who works in a regular job and lives a regular life and they want to bring, you know, the Shaolin spirit into their life, The advice is to pursue their goals.

The advice is integrate some conscious realization of what you are grateful for, of possessing already in this very moment where you hear that podcast. Whether it is a family that you have, whether it is a partner that you have, whether it is your children that you have, whether it is the new car that you just have, it doesn't matter. Stop running with the mind into the future, with the feeling of there is still something I need to get out there, and replace some hours, some minutes of the day, with simply realizing, okay, this is the home that I built up now for the last years, this is like my family, these are my children, this is my dog, this is my Ducati, this is my Lamborghini, it doesn't matter.

It's a good life.

It's a very good life.

Consciously appreciate the presence, what you have, because this translates to me as you are finally arriving sometimes, because the world right now is running after something too much. So that moment of relax, sit down, drink a tea, and just see what you have— this, to implement this, this is the quickest fix.

Do you think everyone should study martial arts?

Not necessarily in the martial arts, but to just look maybe. What does that guy mean when he talks about the martial arts principles can teach you something about this way of life? That's all.

Well, thank you very much for coming on the show.

Greatly appreciated, and No, we might see each other another time.

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